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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625517">Cultists Hate Him!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/notbad/pseuds/notbad'>notbad</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ereri/Riren-tober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempted Seduction, Ghost Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Raiting will change, a very late halloween fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:55:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,700</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27625517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/notbad/pseuds/notbad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Eren took a job to house-sit a creepy old manor he kind of expected it to be haunted. What he didn’t predict was how horny the ghost would be.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi/Eren Yeager, riren, rivaere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ereri/Riren-tober 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cultists Hate Him!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>uh this was supposed to be for the seduction prompt ereritober. 18 days too late for Halloween and way too many words for a fic that was just supposed to be ghost levi trying to seduce eren.<br/>oh, and minor <b>jean/armin</b> if that's something that bothers you.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Reiss estate, large and foreboding with ivy that choked the dark red brick; And sprawling forest that surrounded the property. As his car trembled up the gravel drive the towers of the house loomed over in a way he could only describe as threatening. He could imagine someone looking down at him from its many windows. </p><p>This whole situation was too much like something out of a horror novel for Eren’s tastes.</p><p>Weeks prior, a girl with her horribly cheerful smile had been the one to tell him about the ad. She shoved the news clipping in his unoccupied hand; folding his fingers over it for him. Standing in line with a package around his other arm prevented him from doing anything. </p><p>Two thousand per week for a couple of months of staying at a mansion sounded too good to be true. She had laughed when Eren said that. But she only stared at him when he'd said, jokingly, “The catch was that they were going to eat whatever fool took the job.” </p><p>Her loss if she didn’t have a sense of humor.</p><p>Strapped for cash, out of a job, and a golden, albeit shady, opportunity. It almost seemed like fate was trying to tell him something. </p><p>The Reiss family had a well known and respected business, or so he had been told by his father. Eren, not being completely gullible, asked around town. They all said the same thing. Best of all, no known cannibalistic tendencies or reports of sexy dark haired boys going missing.</p><p>And now, as he stood on the creaky porch, he understood why none had taken the job. Old dark wood doors towered over him; it’s frosted windows only giving him a blurry view of what was inside. </p><p>Guess he was the fool.</p><p>-</p><p>He was thankful he got the manor before it got too dark; the little sunlight there was is the reason he could see anything. As he entered the house, the large oak door creaking as it opened, a foyer greeted him. It felt larger than his apartment and his parent’s home combined. Everything looked staged; more like an old painting than a place you call home.</p><p>No way to turn on the lights in sight he instead opted to use his phone. Shining the light on the wallpaper, he glided his hand across it. He needed to find a light switch. If this place had any at all. </p><p>As he got further into the foyer he tried not to look at all the paintings on the wall of people long gone. With a flick of a switch, light illuminated the room. </p><p>The beat of his heart calmed a bit. It was still fucking creepy but at least the lights prevented him from thinking he saw a figure in the corner of his eyes. </p><p>Sliding his backpack off his shoulder, he unzipped it and grabbed the instructions the Reiss family left him. It listed the usual things you’d expect. He needs to keep the place clean, grab the mail, take out the trash, feed their cat, and water the houseplants. </p><p>On the call with the father, Mr. Reiss, mentioned that he need not worry about the garden. Or the basement. He was very adimate about that. Which yeah, gave Eren some serious serial killer vibes, but money was money.</p><p>What really bothered him was that he was left a map of the manor in their mailbox. Having a map for the home seemed like overkill to him. Until he looked at it. </p><p>Along with the instructions, he kept trying to make sense of it. Sure the place was humongous, but the map seemed impossible. How could it fit all those rooms, was the question that kept nagging at him. The measurements seemed off. He was an architecture major for like a year but he didn’t need to take all those classes or debt to know that.</p><p>With the guide of the map he made his way to the kitchen. All the way there he felt eyes on him. He prayed that it was the cat that still hadn’t made itself known. </p><p>To be expected, the room was huge and very little of it had been updated. On the counter lied some money for food and all the keys to the home—attached to a large key ring. They were all similar to the one for the front door; rusted bronze and heavy with an emblem of a beating heart. </p><p>When he held them up to his face to inspect them closer, cold caressed the back of his neck. The keys slipped out of his hands. They fell onto the floor and the clatter of them made him stiffen up more. Trying to ignore the sound of breathing, he bent down to get the keys. </p><p>Once his hands gripped the cool metal of the ring, he felt a little bit better. The house was just getting to him. That’s all. And if it's a ghost...Well, there’s no way it’s creepy ass was going to keep him from that money. He’s got bills to pay, dept to pay off, and unnecessary purchases to make. </p><p>Back on his feet and leaning onto the counter he turned his head to look behind him. Nothing. Just the kitchen. A regular creepy old rich people kitchen. He sighed in relief and rested his forehead on the counter and focused on the feeling.</p><p>His eyes shot open when he got the distinct feeling that someone had just grabbed his ass.</p><p>-</p><p>After the ass fondling incident the rest of the day had been relatively quiet. He had opted to order food instead of going back into the kitchen. The delivery woman refused to go past the gate, which meant he had to walk out of the room he locked himself in, go though the house, past the gardens, along the winding driveway, till he reached her. </p><p>By the time he got there he was bent over panting with his hands on his knees heaving. The burgers were cold and he had to do it all over again to get back.</p><p>This ghost, if it wasn’t just his imagination, was a real pain in the ass. Literally and figuratively.</p><p>His night was spent listening to the groans and aches of the house. Old houses, mansions or not, were loud. The creaking of the wooden floorboards weren’t the actions of a ghost. The soft scratching on the window wasn’t from the nails of someone long dead. </p><p>Simply, the house was just settling and the wind was blowing the trees against it. He knew this. With his head under the covers, he kept waiting for it. The feeling of the bed moving as someone sat down on the other side.</p><p>The feeling never came. But he was unsettled nonetheless. He gripped tighter to the handle of the knife he kept under his pillow. The grain of it’s wood against his skin soothed him only slightly.</p><p>Really, a murderer who had it out for him would be better than this. <em> Real </em> flesh and blood people he could handle. They were tangible. Tangible weaknesses and limits. Humans could only do so much against a blade. The dead, they’re not so easily dealt with.</p><p>He could keep his eyes open no longer. His mind was so fuzzy with the desire to sleep that he couldn’t think about the rustling of his backpack.</p><p>-</p><p>The house was quiet. Eren no longer had the feeling that someone was watching him. He took another look at the map. He was indeed in front of the cleaning supply closet. He found himself looking forward to cleaning. His mind could focus on the task instead of worrying about whatever lurked in this house.</p><p>He opened the closet door and was met with only confusion. It was empty. Stepping into the dark room, he squinted.</p><p>Maybe he had the wrong room, he questioned. He had checked, this should be it. He pulled on the light switch above him. The only thing other than him, was a shitty broom in the corner.</p><p>He wondered if the broom is what the Reiss family had expected him to clean with. He groaned in frustration. Rich people. They probably were messing with him. Was this a test? Should he call them? Or would that mean he’s failed? His brain hurt.</p><p>Leaving the broom where it lay, he opted instead to eat breakfast. As he rushed down the halls, it struck him. The whole place was clean. Not like regular clean, but ‘just finished disinfecting the whole place’ type of clean. </p><p>The family had been gone for days, there should’ve been something. He recalled that even the room he had stayed in was. No crumbs, no garbage. At the time he figured he must’ve been so tired that he simply cleaned and forgot. But now…</p><p>The rest of his chores had the same outcome. The missing cat’s bowls, already filled. House plants already watered. Even after he made himself food, he’d look away and the dishes were already in the sink. </p><p>If this was how the ghost was going to haunt him he wasn’t mad about it. Just what kind of ghost would do that.</p><p>The next couple days proceed in the exact same way. Leaving Eren with absolutely no chores. Which was great, in theory. If not very boring. The wifi was shit and all the books that filled the shelves were boring.</p><p>And then the notes started happening. At first he thought that they were left by the daughter or her friends. It soon became clear that wasn’t the case. They were horrifying. His eyes burned when he would see one stuck some. </p><p>Things like, ‘Are you single?’, ‘Will you be my boo?’ soon escalated to ‘Do you have any spirits in you? Would you like some?’ with a badly drawn winking face.</p><p>He swore he could feel the room chill every time that he’d crumple one up and throw it away.</p><p>Honestly he preferred these notes to the things he’d sometimes placed near him. At least they sometimes made him laugh.</p><p>He found a black rose next to him when he woke up one night. That was the first it left him. Scared him half to death. Not only did it happen while he slept, but he vaguely recalled that meant someone was going to kill you. The next one was two cotton balls next to each other, with a piece of paper next to it that said ‘ghost balls’.</p><p>A horrible joke. It was a whirlwind of emotional whiplash.</p><p>He wondered if this some kind of new ghost tactic to get people to leave; Harass them with bad pickup lines then threaten them. He almost wished that the ghost would just tell him to get out and try to kill him directly. Like a regular ghost.</p><p>This was the most stressed out that he’s been in months.</p><p>-</p><p>Sticking with his earlier vow of not letting the hypothetical ghost stir him from doing his job was getting harder each passing day. Eren was less fearful that the apparition would actually physically harm him but <em> oh boy </em>, the emotional toll was immense.</p><p>Calling one of the Reiss family members crossed his mind, but he quickly decided it was best not to bother them. Of course they knew the place was haunted. They lived here. Honestly, creeped him out more than the ghost.</p><p>When he first discussed the arrangements with Mr. Reiss, he had pulled Eren aside. Gripping firmly on his shoulders, he gave Eren an icy look. Then said, “Don’t bother trying to rob the place. We will know, and you will regret it.” At the time he was too stricken to respond. Yeah, another red flag. </p><p>He spends as much time as possible away from the house. Which means no more than an hour or two, considering he’s supposed to be taking care of it. He’s nothing if not hard working and hates breaking his word. Creepy or not, he wasn’t going to lie to the owners. </p><p>And there’s this: He found himself getting exhausted from just going into town. Being at this house alone must’ve been getting to him. </p><p>“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you for the next few weeks?” Armin said as Eren and him carried bags through the foyer. Back from his latest trip away from the manor, he was armed with snacks and Armin’s PlayStation and small TV.</p><p>“Nah, I can handle it. ‘Sides, I’m not even supposed to bring anyone in the place.” </p><p>Eren set down the bags on the kitchen counter and started putting everything away. He continued, “If they knew I let you in here, even for a night, I could get in trouble.”</p><p>“Let him be, if he wants to stay in the creepy fucking house alone let him,” Oh. Jean was here too. To Eren’s delight Jean had been so unusually quiet the whole trip up, that Eren forgot about him. </p><p>“Also, I still don’t understand,” Jean paused, shifting his weight to get a better grip, before he kept talking. “Why the hell we have to give him our shit. You know how much we worked for this? I swear if you break any of this I’m taking all of your haunted house money.”</p><p>Armin closed the fridge door, and walked up to Jean; Grabbing the Playstation that Jean held in one arm.</p><p>“Jean, please, I’m the one that actually uses it. You can handle not playing on it for one day and then never touching it for a month.” Jean huffed at that and mumbled ‘<em> it’s the principle of it’ </em>.</p><p>“Yeah Jean, shut it.” Eren stuck his tongue out at Jean. A withering look from Armin stopped him from saying anything else.</p><p>“We came here to help you calm down about your, erm, ghost problem. Not to fight. How about we all just go set up the TV and — ” </p><p>“Wait. Armin, you don’t believe me, do you? You don’t think there’s a ghost?” Seeing Eren’s disappointment, Armin held his hands up in defence. He gave a quick glance towards Jean.</p><p>“It’s not that I don’t believe that you saw a ghost. It’s a matter of if you actually <em> saw </em> a <em> ghost </em>. Look, this is an old house. You’re bound to hear things. See things — Gas leaks, among other things, might be possible.” </p><p>“But it could be a ghost. I’m just saying before we jump to conclusions, it’s best if we explore all the <em> other </em>options.” </p><p>“How do you explain the notes! The weird shit that just shows up. Wait — I have proof,” He grabbed his best friend's sleeve and led him to the living room. </p><p>Jean yelled for them to slow down and not to drop his “baby”. </p><p>Once there, Eren made a big gesture towards the evidence in question. Armin set down the PlayStation on the table and took a closer look.</p><p>“Cotton balls?” He said frowning at the two that laid on the coffee table.</p><p>“Read the note.” Eren said grabbing it and holding it so Armin and Jean could see. Jean snorted. Even Armin looked like he was holding back a laugh.</p><p>“Man, this is crazy even for you, Yeager.” Jean grabbed the note from Eren’s hands and waved it in the air. </p><p>“Making us come all the way here. And for what? An elaborate joke! I’ll admit it, you got me. I almost thought you were serious.”</p><p>“That’s not my handwriting! Armin you’ve seen my handwriting. It’s not this bad.” Armin only hummed in response. Eren could tell Armin was still on the fence about all of this. What else could he tell them? </p><p>“The ghost even touched me when I first got here.” Wait, no, he shouldn't have said that. </p><p>“It did?” Armin said, a little more interested. Shit. Play it cool, Eren.</p><p>“Ah, ha, yeah.” Smooth. He scratched the back of his head.</p><p>Armin raised his eyebrow, waiting for Eren to explain.</p><p>“Um, well, it grabbed my ass.” Eren kept his eyes on the ceiling as he said this. The coffered ceiling was very interesting to him suddenly. It was extremely intricate. He could only imagine how long it took to do.</p><p>The more the silence continued, the more stressed he got and the more he tried to think about the architecture of the house. He swears he’s gonna get a gray hair after all of this.</p><p>“Eren, do you still have the notes?” Armin was trying really hard to keep himself composed. He coughed trying to cover up the laugh that almost came out. Next to him Jean looked a little nauseated. This haunting took a weird turn, ass grabbing and all, and he really didn’t want to be a part of it.</p><p>“I threw them in the recycling bin in the kitchen, but I can get them. I guess,” He scratched his head. What more would the notes prove than what the ghost had written on that slip of paper?</p><p>After Eren went through the recycling and pulled out all the slips of paper, they sat in the living room looking at them. Eren had a seemingly permanent flush on his face. He’ll never live this down.</p><p>“Roses are red. Violets are fine. You be the 6. I’ll be the 9. What the fuck kind of ghost writes pick up lines? And not even good ones at that,” At Jean’s words, Eren covered his face even more with the throw blanket on his lap. That asshole had spent the last ten minutes picking up each note, reading them aloud, and then laughing.</p><p>“If I didn’t think all of this was fake, I’d say that this ghost wanted a piece of you.”</p><p>“Why would I make all of this up?” Eren huffed. “And the ghost doesn’t want a ‘piece of me’. I don’t even know why you would think that. It’s trying to psych me out. It wants me gone.”</p><p>“Eren, tell me, what exactly gave you that impression?” Armin interjected, confused about how Eren exactly came to that conclusion. While Jean had been joking, Armin on the other hand was a little dumbfounded by the whole situation. </p><p>Eren finally pulled down the blanket to look at him.</p><p>“What do you mean? It’s obvious! It’s trying to confuse me. Send me weird things until I give up and leave. And Honestly? It’s working. God, it’s working. I’m at my wit's end.” </p><p>“You believe me now though, Armin, don’t you?” Eren gave him a pleading look.</p><p>“Well. Honestly, I’m with Jean on this one,” Jean pulled Armin closer into his arms, looking way too smug. Before he could say anything, Armin added “Not that you’re faking it, but that the ghosts intentions aren’t, well, what you think they are. And I’m not even sure this is a ghost.”</p><p>Armin looked suddenly very serious. Jean looked a little nervous at the implication of what he said.</p><p>“Eren, are you sure that no one else is here? None of the family members stayed home? No maid? Butler?” </p><p>“I already told you. There’s a gardener but he never comes into the house. I always see him drive away. Other than him, no one is here. And how do you explain things showing up and moving out of nowhere? I would be able to hear if someone did that.” Despite his insistence, he could tell Armin was still doubtful. </p><p>“This place is so big. Someone could be here and it would be so easy for them to hide. The gardener might drive away, but that doesn’t mean he can’t come back on foot,” Armin leaned into Jean a bit more and gripped onto the note in his hand. “I think we should call the cops.”</p><p>“Wait. Yeager, be serious, you wrote these, right? Right?” Jean laughed nervously. </p><p>“No! That’s what I’ve been telling you! I didn’t write them. And no cops! If the Reiss’ find out that I did that, I won’t get paid. Hell, they’ll probably make me pay them back.”</p><p>“Honestly, Eren I think that your safety is more important than — ”</p><p>“Armin. Please?” He repeated ‘please’ multiple times and gave his best puppy dog eyes, hoping his friend would reconsider. It’s worked before. He moved to grasp his hands.</p><p>Armin signed. </p><p>“Fine. But, I don’t care what you say, we’re staying,” Both Jean and Eren tried to interject. Ignoring them, Armin continued “And! If there are any signs of a corporeal intruder, we’re leaving and going to the cops. All of us.” </p><p>With Armin’s decision set in stone, they all decided that they would all sleep in the living room together. Jean and Armin on the couch, since they were dating. Which left Eren the other, smaller couch, or the floor. Eren opted for the floor. The couch was not made for anyone above 5’4 to sleep on. And he always wanted to see how I'd feel to sleep on a carpet by the fire.</p><p>The rest of the night was spent watching bad reality TV and scarfing down junk food. The anxieties of earlier, soon forgotten. By him at least. Eren could tell that both of his friends were on high alert. </p><p>When he got up to go to the kitchen to get some sweets, Jean offered to come with. Despite both him and Armins insistence, he went on his own. What was he? A damsel in distress? Would he get a little scared at every noise he heard on the way? Yes. But he had a knife in his pocket and he’d use it, if necessary.</p><p>They both looked like they could use some sleep anyways. He’d be fine. The ghost—yes, ghost, despite Armin’s instance otherwise—hasn’t done any physical harm. Well, other than the ass grabbing. Though he’d consider that more mentally harmful than anything. </p><p>Finally reaching what he desired, he frowned. The candy was all gone. He’d forgotten that all the candy had been almost sold out—Halloween was soon. They’d only gotten a little bit. He contemplated what to do. He really wanted something sweet. </p><p>To his surprise, he heard the most unexpected thing at that moment. A meow.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p></p><div class="center">
  <p><a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/bloodlied">TUMBLR</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/BLOODLIESD">TWITTER</a> - <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/best_rivaere">RIVAERE COLLECTION</a></p>
</div><br/>i have to finish the next chapter for my longfic, so it'll be a bit before i finish this one. hopefully less than 18 days.<br/>im still extremely rusty on third person but i hope you enjoyed it! thanks for reading &lt;3<br/></blockquote></div></div>
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